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After an interlude caused by months on political turmoil, Yemen's illegitimate parliament resumed business on Saturday when the new power-sharing government presented its programme. Judging by the account in the Yemen Times, its re-opening session was a shambolic affair, interrupted by… Read more
I have written before about Matt Lauer of Qorvis, the American PR firm with a $40,000-a-month contract to spruce up the Bahraini government's tarnished image.
Mr Lauer was on Twitter yesterday, complaining about excessive use of exclamation marks by bloggers. What a pity he… Read more
Six girls-only high schools in Jeddah are being investigated by the Saudi education ministry for holding a sports competition without the ministry's permission.
Two hundred girls took part in the event on December 8, which included basketball, badminton, athletics and swimming. But when… Read more
It is possible but – on the basis of what is known so far – not particularly probable that the explosions in Damascus on Friday were the work of al-Qaeda or elements of the Syrian opposition. What cannot be disputed, though, is that the "attacks" provide support for the regime's official line about… Read more
The collapse of the Assad regime was never going to be swift. Since the early days of the uprising last March, my feeling all along was that it wouldn't happen this year. And even if it were to happen tomorrow, the opposition is sill far from ready to take over.
Next year, though, is a… Read more
Syria finally agreed to the Arab League's "reconciliation" initiative on Monday. The fact that President Assad delegated the task of signing it to his deputy foreign minister, and that this happened on a day that brought the largest number of deaths since the uprising began – 114 according to… Read more
With a new government sworn in and relative calm returning to the streets in Yemen, this seems an appropriate moment to take stock.
On Sunday, the Yemen Observer reported that sandbags and soil barriers were being removed as armed tribesmen, troops and armored vehicles withdrawn from… Read more
It wasn't until 2003 that the UN's human rights body finally got around to discussing homosexuality for the first time – much to the horror of five predominantly Muslim countries (Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt, Libya and Malaysia). They staged a filibuster in order to block a resolution expressing… Read more
Tracking down the ill-gotten gains of fallen dictators is rarely an easy task but there are hopes that a luxurious property in London, thought to be worth around $16 million, may provide a breakthrough in the case of the Gaddafi family.
Libya's new government is seeking legal ownership of the house… Read more
First days of the Arab Spring: video of rioting in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia, posted on YouTube, December 19, 2010
The great dam at Marib (in present-day Yemen) was one of the marvels of ancient Arabia, the centrepiece of a vast irrigation system that watered crops for a desert-dwelling… Read more
ARAB ART ONLINE: Susan Hefuna: Al Sabr Gamil (Patience is Beautiful) 2007. Ink stained on wood 140 x 170 cm. More information | Click to enlarge
